This glazed lemon and cranberry bread is the perfect quick sweet bread recipe for the holidays. Finished with a sweet and tangy lemon glaze, this bread loaf is perfect for Christmas breakfasts and brunch and wonderful as a mid afternoon snack with a cup of coffee.

Baking is one of my favorite pastimes and I love making my own bread, however, you don’t always have time to allow it to rise and that’s where quick breads like this come in. Made with cranberry and orange it’s the perfect seasonal treat!

How to Make Glazed Lemon Cranberry Bread

FOR THE BREAD:

Toss the cranberries in flour and set aside, then in a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In an electric mixture cream together the butter and sugar before adding the egg. Slowly add the flour mixture to the cream and butter, add in the milk and fold in the cranberries and lemon zest.

Pour the batter into a prepared loaf tin and bake in a preheated oven, Let cool and spoon over the lemon glaze.

FOR THE LEMON GLAZE:

Combine the sugar and lemon juice in a pan over a medium heat, then brush over the cooled cranberry lemon bread.

A sweet quick bread recipe

Because there is no yeast in this bread recipe, you don’t need to allow time to let it rise, so it’s a great recipe to try if you are short on time. The bread is sweet and tangy and the lemon glaze is so easy to make but really finishes this loaf perfectly.

How long does Glazed Lemon Cranberry Bread keep?

Once the bread has cooled, it will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days. To lengthen the life of the bread, keep it in a container or wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge and it will keep for around a week. You can also freeze the baked bread and thaw it at room temperature.

Glazed Lemon Cranberry Bread makes a great holiday gift!

Because quick sweet breads are so easy to make, I often make a couple at a time to gift as gifts to friends and neighbours during the festive season. Simply wrap the cooled bread in parchment and tie with a ribbon, or place in a large cellophane bag and gift wrap.

They make for a really personal gift that really doesn’t take much effort at all!

Top tips to make Glazed Lemon Cranberry Bread

Grease your loaf tin before adding the batter to ensure easy removal.
Flour your cranberries before adding them to the mixture to prevent them from sinking to the bottom.
Bake the loaf in a preheated oven for the nest results, and test that the bread is done by inserting a toothpick, if it comes out clean it’s ready.
Let the bread cool before adding the glaze. If it’s too hot it will run off.

For more delicious bread recipes:

Author: Lee harsh
Total Time: 1 hours 10 minutes
Yield: 12 servings 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Ingredients

Scale

For the Bread:

1 cup fresh cranberries1 cup fresh cranberries
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon for dredging cranberries1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon for dredging cranberries
½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon table salt
½ cup milk at least 2% ½ cup milk at least 2%
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest about 1 medium lemon
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest about 1 medium lemon

For the Glaze:

¼ cup granulated sugar¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

For the Bread

Heat the oven to 350°F, spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick baking spray, and toss the cranberries with 1 tablespoon of flour; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the remaining flour together with the baking powder and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes until fluffy and creamy, then add the egg and beat for an additional minute.
Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until incorporated, then add ¼ cup of milk and mix on low for 15 seconds.
Add the remaining flour mixture and mix just until no flour is visible, then add the remaining ¼ cup of milk and mix until combined.
Fold in the lemon zest and cranberries, then pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Transfer the bread in the pan to a cooling rack and let it cool for 15 minutes, then remove the loaf from the pan and set it upright.
Carefully pierce the top of the bread with a toothpick, then use a pastry brush to evenly apply the warm lemon glaze.
Enjoy

For the Lemon Glaze

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar and lemon juice, bring to a boil, and cook for 30 seconds before removing from heat and brushing the glaze over the top of the Cranberry Lemon Bread

Notes

Grease your loaf tin before adding the batter for easy removal, and flour your cranberries beforehand to keep them from sinking to the bottom.
Bake the loaf in a preheated oven for the nest results, and test that the bread is done by inserting a toothpick, if it comes out clean it’s ready.
Let the bread cool before adding the glaze. If it’s too hot it will run off.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Category: Bread
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 234kcal
Sugar: 22g
Sodium: 66mg
Fat: 9g
Saturated Fat: 5g
Carbohydrates: 36g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 3g
Cholesterol: 49mg

recipe for cranberry lemon loaf